How Are People Traveling to the Glasgow Climate Conference (COP26)?
Ironically, climate change conferences contribute to climate change
Given the considerable distance (to say nothing about having to cross oceans), one supposes that most will fly.
According to CarbonFund.org, the carbon dioxide produced by conventional air travel is approximately 0.2 kilograms per mile, per person. That works out to about 0.44 pounds per mile. (1)
The distance from Washington, D.C. to Glasgow is 3,422 miles. (2) A round trip, then, would be 6,884 miles.
6,884 miles times 0.44 pounds per mile is 3,029 pounds of CO2. That’s about one and one half tons per passenger.
No small irony in that.
There are some who get it.
A “Climate Train” of about 500 passengers will travel from Amsterdam to Glasgow. (3)
A teenager will cycle from Devon (in southwest England) to Glasgow. (4) A group will cycle from London to Glasgow. (5)
I can’t find information on any people traveling by sail. But it’s been done: in 2019, climate activist Greta Thunberg sailed from England to New York to attend climate conferences at the United Nations. (6)
I won’t get into the on-the-ground climate impacts in Glasgow.
In short – we need to minimize the climate change impacts of climate change meetings. Perhaps future COP conferences can be made a hybrid of in-person and virtual.
Sources:
(1) https://carbonfund.org/calculation-methods/
(2) https://www.distance.to/Washington-Dc/Glasgow
(5) https://www.wearedonation.com/en-gb/individuals/cycle-cop26/
(6) https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/08/1045161